Hannah Köpf – Flowermind

Description

FM 432 CD, Vinyl, Download and Streaming

Intimate lyrics, grandiose arrangements and a brilliant band: Hannah Köpf’s new album “Flowermind” combines original American genres such as folk, country, jazz, gospel and bluegrass to create a sound that feels like Nashville but comes from Germany. With her warm, brilliantly clear voice, the Cologne-based singer-songwriter tells stories that are both comforting and uplifting – sometimes floatingly light, sometimes intense and haunting, always full of expression and luminosity.

The arrangements are just as multi-layered as the lyrics: large backing choirs unfold an anthemic force in pieces such as “Stand Alone With You”, while the pedal steel guitar in “Silken Paper Dream” conjures up gentle country longing. The love for the timeless sounds of role models such as Jackson Browne, Steely Dan, Judee Sill and Rickie Lee Jones is always palpable – and yet “Flowermind” sounds fresh and completely unique. The original folk version of Paul Simon’s “Diamonds On The Soles Of Her Shoes” offers a special surprise – a personal homage by the songwriting duo Köpf and Dudek, who shed a new light on the song with guitars and fiddle.

The songs have grown over a long period of time – between everyday scenes such as morning coffee, train journeys, school snacks and tax returns, in moments of grief over the loss of her father or after laughing fits with her daughter. “It’s my most personal and profound album to date,” says Köpf. In “Lavender Fields”, she reflects on forgiveness and the healing power of memory, while “Where the Ocean Sleeps” tells of the power of maintaining hope despite everything. The title track “Flowermind” and “Stand Alone With You” address pressing issues of our time: Climate crisis, fascism, social interaction – without a raised index finger, but with a clear message of building bridges. The groovy song “Ligh-thearted Love” – which captivates with virtuoso solos by Mike Roelofs and Bastian Ruppert – tells the story of how a long love remains fresh and light-footed and how shared memories form an invisible bond. The opener “Ancestor Song”, which builds from a very gentle atmosphere to an epic finale, explores the question of what security means and what influence our ancestors have on us and our music. Hannah Köpf also draws her inspiration from a wide variety of art – films, poetry, paintings – and weaves these impressions into her songs. For example, “Marsh Girl” was inspired by the strong female character from “The Song of the Crayfish”.

The album title “Flowermind” stands for a way of thinking that, like a blooming garden, is characterized by diversity, creativity, kindness and gentleness. In a fragile tightrope walk, Köpf poses the question: Can we as a society find a way to approach each other? Between hippie allusions à la We Shall Overcome and the pressing concern about the world she is leaving behind for her daughter, the desire for cohesion is always palpable.

The album was recorded live at the Fattoria Musica in Osnabrück – a deliberate return to her roots, as her debut album was recorded there in 2010. “It takes on a very special dynamic when everyone is in the room together,” says Köpf. Together with her partner, producer and drummer Tim Dudek and a band that plays with sensitivity and precision, they developed the timeless yet modern sound of the album. The songs were given the finishing touches in their own Cologne studio, where Dudek refined the timeless retro sound aesthetic with pedal steel, additional guitars and detailed post-production.

With “Flowermind”, Hannah Köpf continues the line of her four previous albums and builds on 15 years of stage experience. Her music is unique in Germany, combining Americana, country and folk with a lyrical depth that is repeatedly compared to artists such as Joni Mitchell or Paul Simon. But she remains true to her path, poetic and multi-layered – and gives her audience not only music, but also a piece of hope in a world full of uncertainties.